Inara is scheduled to get spayed on the 21st, however, they said if she goes into heat we'll have to wait like 7 weeks (3 weeks for the heat to end and then a month after that???)...is there any way to know if she's going to go into heat? I've never had a female dog before...Are there any signs, or do I just look for bleeding? *shudder*

Some dogs don't discharge that much (or keep themselves extremely clean so you never notice).

How old is Inara?

Every dog is different. Sacha had her first heat at 11.5 months. Nisha is 8 months and hasn't had one, yet (Sacha is due the middle of May, and we think that Sacha being in heat might pull Nisha into it).

Are male dogs more interested in her? I noticed that right before Sacha had her first heat the males were much more interested in that area.

Also, look for swelling of the vulva. Normally it is acorn-size, when a dog goes into heat, it becomes, well, VERY noticeable (you can actually see it from the back while they're walking).

If she is licking a lot down there, then she might be trying to keep herself clean.

Again, every dog is different, but every time Sacha goes into heat, all potty training goes out the window. I have heard from several breeders and vets that female dogs have contractions, etc just like people. So, they get crampy. Especially during the first heat, they have no idea what is going on with their bodies....so, they don't know if they have to poop, pee...or what!!!

She's about 6 months old. Not sure if boy dogs are acting more interested - she's all about all dogs and will strain to go play with them. So I have no idea if they're doing the same! Hopefully she'll be a late bloomer, I don't wanna have to deal with a cranky, white, bleeding dog. Thanks for the info so far!

pitbullmamaliz wrote:She's about 6 months old. Not sure if boy dogs are acting more interested - she's all about all dogs and will strain to go play with them. So I have no idea if they're doing the same! Hopefully she'll be a late bloomer, I don't wanna have to deal with a cranky, white, bleeding dog. Thanks for the info so far!

Yeah, cranky, white, bleeding dog: NOT FUN!!!!

I have read (I don't know how true it is) and have been told by my vet that medium/large breed dogs tend to go into heat later. So, ShihTzus, Malteses, etc might go when they're 5 - 6 months old, but medium/large breeds take longer to develop.

All my girls had there first heat at just under six months. The average is between 6 months to a year for the first heat cycle. It can last 14-28 days on average

Usually the vulva swells, there is discharge, they often lick themselves a lot. Though some have silent heat cycles which you wouldn't notice.

If you even think she is in heat keep her away from other dogs as some females also get moody during their heat cycles while others are complete tramps LOL

Also she certainly can be fixed if she happens to go into heat before her date. Your vet just chooses not to do it.

Last edited by Patch O' Pits on April 11th, 2006, 10:23 am, edited 2 times in total.

Patch O' Pits Pursuit-O-Perfection

Run Hard at the Rainbow Bridge My Angel Sock-M! I Love You Baby Girl! Now that your Mom Starlit is up there too, please help her learn the ropes, love and keep her company until I can see you both again. Starlit I love you!http://i14.tinypic.com/2a8q345.jpg

Patch, you left out the number of months in which your girls generally go into heat!
And why would a vet choose to not spay during a heat? The vet tech said we have to wait a month afterwards due to them bleeding more easily - is that why?

I took Tess in, and they wouldn't spay her because she had only been out of heat 2 weeks. Her first heat was 16 months. She is still swollen in her teats, but her back end is back to normal. My friend thought she might be going through a false pregnancy. We do not have a fenced yard, and she is either on leash or in the house, so I cannot imagine that she could be pregnant, unless she is going to give birth to the next messiah or Jack spontaniously grew some balls.

I will take her in after next week and they can spay her either way, swollen or not. I feel like we have a time bomb here, with an unspayed dog, even given the careful watch she is under. I have never had an unspeutered animal before, and I do not like it.

dogcrazyjen wrote:I took Tess in, and they wouldn't spay her because she had only been out of heat 2 weeks. Her first heat was 16 months. She is still swollen in her teats, but her back end is back to normal. My friend thought she might be going through a false pregnancy. We do not have a fenced yard, and she is either on leash or in the house, so I cannot imagine that she could be pregnant, unless she is going to give birth to the next messiah or Jack spontaniously grew some balls.

False pregnancies are quite common

pitbullmamaliz

Patch, you left out the number of months in which your girls generally go into heat!And why would a vet choose to not spay during a heat? The vet tech said we have to wait a month afterwards due to them bleeding more easily - is that why?

ooopps LOL they were all just under 6 months

As to why exactly some choose not to.... I've heard a couple of different answers but honestly don't know for sure. I heard there may be more bleeding and is also more expensive

Run Hard at the Rainbow Bridge My Angel Sock-M! I Love You Baby Girl! Now that your Mom Starlit is up there too, please help her learn the ropes, love and keep her company until I can see you both again. Starlit I love you!http://i14.tinypic.com/2a8q345.jpg

dogcrazyjen wrote:I took Tess in, and they wouldn't spay her because she had only been out of heat 2 weeks. Her first heat was 16 months. She is still swollen in her teats, but her back end is back to normal. My friend thought she might be going through a false pregnancy. We do not have a fenced yard, and she is either on leash or in the house, so I cannot imagine that she could be pregnant, unless she is going to give birth to the next messiah or Jack spontaniously grew some balls.

Sacha had a false pregnancy to the point that she started nesting. She would also hold stuffed toys to her teats to try to nurse them....she even tried with the cat (he was offended)...

Patch O' Pits wrote:As to why exactly some choose not to.... I've heard a couple of different answers but honestly don't know for sure. I heard there may be more bleeding and is also more expensive

I had to get two of my cats spayed when they were in heat (anyone who has had to listen to a cat in heat will understand why I chose to do this during as opposed to after their heat cycle). I was told by my vet that the reason it costs more is because it is a more complicated procedure in that there was more blood (due to more blood vessels having to be tied off)....I don't know how similar it is in dogs...

katiek0417 wrote:I had to get two of my cats spayed when they were in heat (anyone who has had to listen to a cat in heat will understand why I chose to do this during as opposed to after their heat cycle). I was told by my vet that the reason it costs more is because it is a more complicated procedure in that there was more blood (due to more blood vessels having to be tied off)....I don't know how similar it is in dogs...

It is the same in dogs.

Because the uterus is enlarged, more vessels are opened up. This makes it an all together more difficult surgery to perform, which is why some vets will wait until they are done to spay.

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France

Ruby had Pyometra (she was literally a day from death) when she was spayed. It cost a fortune because of all of the infection and the problems that come with a Pyometra surgery. The uteris can be so weak that it ruptures when the vet is handling it, then you have a belly cavity full of pus.

Michelle

Inside me is a thin woman trying to get out. I usually shut the bitch up with a martini.